


Late Night, Early Morning

by PeaceLilies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Diners, Friendsheith, Gen, Hoverbike Racing, Pre-Kerberos Mission, SHIRO HAS DIMPLES, Shiro (Voltron) is a Dork, a muscly dork, one-sided pining Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceLilies/pseuds/PeaceLilies
Summary: Shiro and Keith break Garrison curfew for a late night, early morning hoverbike ride to the only 24/7 diner in the desert.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	Late Night, Early Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [standaarsh (kalis)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalis/gifts).



> Based on a tweet from standaarsh
> 
> I've never written pre-Kerb before...but exploring Keith's pining and Shiro's caregiving was a lot of fun. 
> 
> ENJOY!

Keith isn’t sure what to expect, loitering in the shadows of the Central Hangar, per Shiro’s cryptic text. He’d been up, playing some video games in the lounge because it was after curfew and everyone was in bed already. 

_Old Timer (Shiro) [10:10:02]:_ _Meet me at CH in 1 hour_

It wasn’t unusual to get texts from Shiro this late, but usually he was checking in to make sure that Keith was sleeping, because sleep was important. At least that’s what he was told. But never to meet up. 

There was a part of Keith’s heart that felt...it could have been a _rendezvous_ of some kind. But he knew that wasn’t true. Shiro wasn’t with Adam any more...but they had only just broken up...and Keith wouldn’t be eighteen for another year and a half. He pushed the feelings down as he changed. He was grateful to have Shiro as his mentor...his friend...and the crush he had was...distracting. 

He kicked a stray rock, scuffing his sneaker against the pavement of the hangar, pulling his coat around him tighter. Why had Shiro even called him out here?

“Psst.” 

Keith looked up, narrowing his eyes, honing in on a figure in dark colors on the other side of the hangar, close to where the hoverbikes were housed, away from the jets. Shiro lifted his hand, waving it. 

“Psst, Keith. Over here!” he said it in a faux whisper and Keith jogged over, shushing him. 

“You’re really bad at this sneaking around thing,” he said once they were closer, crouching down behind a crate. Shiro just grinned at him, looking excited, a sparkle in his gray eyes. 

“Why’d you call me out here anyway? It’s breaking the rules.”

Shiro shrugged. 

“Sometimes the rules are meant to be broken,” he replied, so nonchalant that Keith raised an eyebrow. 

“C’mon. Let’s go.” 

Keith followed after Shiro, unsure what on Earth he was planning or thinking. He keyed them into another part of the hangar and turned on the lights, standing in front of Keith, arms out. 

“TADA!” 

“Are those…?”

Shiro nodded, biting his lip, looking like a little kid on Christmas. 

“YES! They’re the New 508 series! Equipped with new propulsion technology and updated electric power engines that can push speeds of up to eighty miles per hour!” 

“No way!”

“Yes way!”

“But they’re not set to be realized to the public until next fall…”

Shiro waggled his eyebrows, “the Galaxy Garrison isn’t the public.” 

“So like...do we just get to look at them or…?”

Shiro rested a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

“Keith, Keith. My boy. My lad. Sweet, innocent Keith,” he said, pulling him in close, squeezing Keith’s head to his chest to the point of near suffocation. If he wasn’t so worried about losing oxygen, he might have otherwise enjoyed the feeling of rock hard muscle under his cheek and being pressed bodily against his crush.

Shiro pushed him away by his shoulders, hanging on, giving Keith some slight whiplash as he tried to catch his breath. 

“We’re not just going to look at them...we’re going to take them for a ride.” 

Keith blinked, gaping up at Shiro. Okay. So maybe this wasn’t the first time Shiro had done something like this with Keith. They’d snuck out past curfew before to get snacks and soda from the local (and only) convenience store in town, milkshakes at the Kaiser Cream, rides down to get late night fast food. 

But Shiro had never taken him out on such a late ride before. 

“Are you serious…?” he asked. He knew that Shiro was. It was pretty rare for him to say something he didn't mean or wasn't serious about. It was just...too good to be true. The 508s were supposed to be the fastest and most efficient hoverbikes on the market, meant for racers or rich people or external agencies, like the military and stuff. 

Normal, everyday people would never get to do this kind of thing. If not for Shiro...there were so many things Keith was sure he’d never had had the chance to do. There was so much gratitude he had for Shiro, all mixed in with his love and desire. 

Keith knew how busy Shiro was, that he had a lot on his plate. He knew that things had been hard with Adam, that they’d been fighting over the Kerberos mission. There had been an uptick in the number of times they’d ridden out to the ridge recently and Keith had come to see the pattern of Shiro needing space. Particularly when they finally broke up.

Keith didn’t not like Adam. He was responsible, maybe even more responsible than Shiro, always nice and supportive of Keith, though he always felt it was sort of like a courtesy, because he was important to Shiro. But it did upset him to think about his best friend being hurt by the person who was supposed to love him, and there was maybe some resentment there, too. Especially how Adam had just... _left_. 

He shook himself from his thoughts, bringing himself back to the present. He shouldn’t be thinking about Adam. He was here with Shiro, who wanted to spend time with him, who was breaking the rules with him to take him out on a joyride with some new toys. 

Shiro was nodding emphatically, grinning widely, and laughing. 

“Of course I’m serious! So...whatdya say?” 

“I’m in!” Keith replied, grinning back, starting to feel the excitement settle over him. 

“I knew you’d say that,” Shiro chuckled, “c’mon. Let’s go.” 

He led Keith into the back of the hangar, towards a neat row of six hoverbikes. They were all shiny and new, in a multitude of colors, primary of course, but reds, blues, yellows, and some in black, as opposed to the faded reds of the older bikes they’d been using. 

“Whoa,” Keith said, standing back and observing the gorgeous bikes with wide-eyed awe. 

“Right?” Shiro replied, “isn’t it amazing? I already got a chance to see them when they came in. Take a look."

Keith did, stepping up to examine the bikes. They were all shiny and new, everything looking sleek and _fast_. He ran his hand over the handlebars, feeling the smooth, unworn grips. 

"How did you get access?" Keith asked as he inspected one of the bikes, a glossy red, glancing up at Shiro, who was leaning against some cargo boxes. 

He always looked like he'd just stepped out of a magazine shoot, black hair always neat, outfit always impeccably and fitting _just right_ , his leather bomber jacket always making him look effortlessly cool. 

Keith knew that Shiro was a giant nerd with a marshmallow heart, but he was fine as hell, too. The perfect guy, all wrapped up in a bow with that sunshine smile, and epic reputation. Keith liked that he knew all these things about Shiro, as a person, who he _really_ was. But sometimes his beauty was blinding. 

"They gave me access," he replied, smiling a little, "I'm just using it off hours."

Keith shook his head, biting his lip, and going back to examining the bike. 

"When can we go?" Keith asked. 

Shiro beamed his thousand watt smile. 

"Whenever you're ready."

***

The bikes were quiet. A lot quieter than the previous models, which made it easier to sneak out of the hangar. They donned their goggles and headed out along their usual trail, following the cliffs, and heading out into the desert. 

Keith loved the desert. There had been a time when he hadn’t, but he had come to love it. He had happy memories here, thanks to Shiro, and it was easier to look back on his time with his Dad with fondness. That was thanks to Shiro, too. Who offered a listening ear if Keith ever wanted it. 

He wanted to travel to other, faraway places, to the stars, just like Shiro. He kept saying that he would go further, break all of his records. Shiro wasn’t a jealous or envious person. He was always so magnanimous and kind and encouraging. He wanted Keith to succeed. Pushed him where he needed to be pushed. Cheered him on when he needed cheering on. 

Keith looked over to see Shiro cruising along beside him, hair pushed back, jacket flapping against him as they rode. It was dark, but Keith could make him out clearly. He was smiling, looking content in ways Keith hadn’t seen in weeks. 

The Kerberos mission was no joke and...Shiro was sick. Keith didn’t like thinking about it. Didn’t like the implications of it. It made his chest constrict and his stomach turn into knots. Shiro was all he had and the idea of not having him in his life any more...even if it was several years down the road...was unthinkable. 

But he was going on the Kerberos mission, was in the middle of flight prep, and working with his team, making sure they were all synced up. Besides the late night rides and occasional check in texts, Keith hadn’t really seen Shiro. 

He was doing his best to not add more to Shiro’s plate. He was on his best behavior in classes, he followed instructions, did all the necessary stuff, even if it was boring or annoying. But he could put all that aside now. He could be in this moment, enjoying the smoothness and speed of the new bike, and the sound of Shiro calling for a race. 

Shiro was always able to get Keith out of his own head, help him focus. 

_Patience Yields Focus._

It was a mantra he repeated often. It had seemed a little hokey at first, but it had grown on him, and it was a good reminder. He pushed his bike faster. 

"Whoa!"

He wasn't expecting how quickly the bike responded, surprised, and he heard Shiro's concerned voice behind him. But he just laughed, looking over his shoulder. 

"Come on, old timer!"

Racing with Shiro was always exhilarating. Sometimes he forgot that Shiro enjoyed this as much as he did. Was reckless, too, sometimes. 

The whizzed through the canyons, fishtailing back and forth, up against the canyon walls as far as they could before gravity yanked them down. 

It wasn't even really a race any more, it was just speeding along, laughing, hooting and hollering. It was freeing, in more ways than one. 

They stopped along their usual ridge, the sky stretched out before them in starry splendor. 

"It's so beautiful…" Shiro said. 

"You'll be up there soon. Get to see it up close and personal."

Shiro nodded, turning to Keith. His goggles were perched on top of his head, and Keith could see an echo of the kid Shiro had once been. He grinned, dimples out in full force, and Keith's heart pounded away. 

Shiro was lucky and he was happy for him. He would miss him, but they had time before he left. 

"Yeah. Soon. Wish you were coming with me," Shiro said, and the words made Keith's heart ache, "I'd have loved to be part of your crew."

Keith shoved his hands in his pocket, scoffing softly, toeing at the dirt, his cheeks pink. He hoped it was too dark for Shiro to see. 

"Shouldn't I be saying those things about you?" he said, looking up. 

Shiro reached over, ruffling Keith's hair, teasing, but the touch made Keith want to lean into his hand...and purr. 

"Nah. Not when you're the one who's gonna break all my records," Shiro replied, chuckling. 

Keith shrugged and smiled a little. 

"We'll see…"

Shiro laughed and nodded. He got up from where he'd been leaning against his bike, coming closer. He put his arm around Keith's shoulder. 

"You're gonna be great."

Keith barely heard the words, too preoccupied with Shiro touching him, keeping him close. He knew the gesture was meant to be fraternal, but Keith couldn't help but feel...bliss. He leaned into the touch, his face red, tentatively reaching his hand around Shiro in return. 

"So are you."

He heard Shiro chuckle, giving him a little squeeze, before letting him go, resting a hand on his head. 

"Thanks, bud."

Keith's heart hammered away in his chest. 

"Anytime."

They watched the stars a little longer, talking about the constatations, before Shiro mentioned food. 

"Race ya to the diner? Person who loses has to pay?" 

"You're on."

***

The route to the lonely, 24/7 diner, in the middle of the desert, was a familiar one. They'd gone there a bunch during the day and on weekends, the staff familiar with them, especially Shiro. 

It was a quiet mom and pop place, appropriately named _The Lone Diner_ , but Keith had come to love the comfort and familiarity of it.

Plus...they had really, really good food. 

The race to get there was tight. Both of them were competitive people, neither wanting to lose, no one stayed on the lead for long, the other always catching up. 

Ultimately, Keith won, and he was not beyond gloating. 

"What took you so long, old timer?"

Shiro just waved his hand.

"Yeah, yeah. You youngbloods and your lack of self-preservation."

Shiro was covered in dust, shaking his hair out and Keith snickered. 

"You're not much better, champ," Shiro replied, slapping Keith on the back, sand falling off his jacket, “it’s in your hair, too.” 

He was walking ahead of Keith, opening the door, and holding it for him. 

Keith sauntered past, sticking his tongue out at Shiro. 

“Not so fast,” Shiro said, catching him as he came in the door, following Keith, pulled him into a hold, giving him a noogie. Who even did that any more? But it was playful and they were both laughing. 

“Punk.” 

“Geezer.” 

“Ahem.”

Both of them looked up at the sound of someone calling their attention, seeing one of their favorite servers, Helena. She was a tall woman, with dark hair that probably came from a bottle, tattoos, and who looked like she could beat you to within an inch of your life if you back talked to her, but had a really amazing sense of humor once you got to know her. 

Shiro let go of Keith and Keith stood up straight next to Shiro. 

“You two calm enough to sit down and eat or do I need to make you run a few laps around the joint?” she asked in a gravelly voice, because she smiled and laughed. 

“I’m just kiddin’! But mind the sand, okay? Tony just did the floors.” 

“Yes, ma’am!” 

Helena led them to their usual booth, right in the middle, by the window. The diner was pretty empty, except for a guy sitting at the end eating a burger.

“You boys want your regulars or something different? Awfully late for you two to be out and about,” she said, holding two menus in her hand, just in case. 

“Regular for me,” Shiro said, holding his hand out to Keith, “you? I’m buyin’.” 

Keith nodded and looked up at Helena. 

“Regular for me, too.” 

“Comin’ up.” 

Keith really did love this diner and he knew that Shiro did, too. It was very _old school_. The long bar with the backless barstools with their cherry red seats, the red and white plastic, high backed bench seats, the white-gray plastic tables, the black and white checkered floor. Nothing seemed to match, but seemed to be the same aesthetic, so it just worked. The side case of pies and cakes and other treats. And each table had a little jukebox, too. For a quarter it would play some real oldies. Shiro liked to mess around with it, playing croony tunes that Keith didn’t really like, but was endeared to, because Shiro liked them. 

Helena brought them milkshakes, vanilla for Shiro and strawberry for Keith. Both were topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. They thanked her quietly, before they dove in. Shiro always ate his cherry first and Keith always went right for his milkshake.

“So, how’s everything been going with classes? I haven’t heard from Iverson or any of your other instructors, I’m gonna assume that things have been going well?” Shiro asked, sipping his milkshake. He was watching Keith intently, always making sure that Keith knew that he had all of Shiro’s attention.

“Yeah. It’s been going good. I’m not going to any study groups or anything, but...I’ve been staying in line. Figured you have enough on your plate anyway and--” Keith held up his hand, seeing Shiro ready to protest, “and it’s been good for me to see more of the benefits of...actually doing what I’m told.” 

Shiro shook his head a little. 

“I know it’s a pain and I certainly don’t want you to do any of this for me. But...there’s merit to it. And it’ll lead to good opportunities for you.” 

Keith nodded, though he would never actually tell Shiro that there was very little he _wouldn’t_ do for him.

“I know.” 

Shiro smiled knowingly, drinking more of his milkshake. 

“You’re top of your class.” 

Keith blushed deeply. It was true. He had good grades in all his classes, nearly perfect, and his flight scores rivaled Shiro’s. In all honesty, the only reason why he hadn’t exceeded Shiro’s scores yet was because he’d had some... _disciplinary issues_ and _problems with instruction_. 

"I'm really proud of you, Keith. I know it's been a tough few years but you've really done some incredible work. I know I haven't been able to be around as much...but I'm so impressed with you taking initiative and really turning things around."

Keith rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the praise, and the mix of emotions he felt about it. Embarrassed and thrilled and proud. A little too much for their casual dinner. 

"You've been around...always checking up on me...going on our rides and stuff…" He took a sip of his milkshake and kicked lightly at Shiro's leg under the table. 

"Enough about me...how's Kerberos stuff going? We haven't talked about that since…"

He took another sip, flushing self-consciously. 

"We don't have to talk about it."

Shiro shook his head. 

"It's okay. I'm okay. Busy. So I haven't really thought much about...Adam. Which is good. Sam and Matt keep me on my toes. We're gearing up for space flight readiness. Gotta run some tests on the ship, practice some zero g training, flight suits, all the good stuff." Shiro grinned. 

He did look happy. Keith knew and had experienced Shiro hiding things before, but he felt like he’d gotten pretty good at recognizing what that looked like. And he certainly didn’t look like that now. That settled something in Keith, glad that his best friend was excited and looking forward to something just for himself. 

It was easy for Keith to fall into listening to Shiro talk about the mission. It was an interesting topic to begin with, but Shiro had such a nice voice, easy to hear, and he was obviously so thrilled, that you couldn’t help but get sucked in. 

“Alright, fellas. Here are your pancakes,” Helena said, bringing two plates of pancakes stacked high. Chocolate chip for Keith and blueberry for Shiro. 

They thanked her, passing the syrup back and forth, both of them digging into their pancakes eagerly. They didn’t talk, just enjoying their food, swapping one pancake for the other with one another, just because that’s what they always did. 

Keith didn’t mind the silence. It always felt companionable and relaxing. He liked that Shiro didn’t expect anything of him, was happy to move with him, whether quiet or talking or...whatever.

“God, these are always so good,” Shiro hummed, finishing off his plate. Normally he took most of them home, which Keith teased him about mercilessly, but Keith knew he’d been working out extra during mission prep. He hadn’t _not_ noticed the way Shiro’s biceps bulged in his t-shirts whenever he moved his arms, the fact that his dress pants fit his thighs more snugly than they had before, or his very defined six pack abs he’d seen when Shiro had changed his shirt before they’d gone out for burgers.

Keith sighed, nodding his head a little, and leaned back in his seat. 

“Sooooo good,” he replied, forcibly turning his thoughts from Shiro’s perfect arms, and back to the present. He looked out the window, out at the desert, and the two cars in the parking lot. 

“I think my dad would have liked this place,” he said softly, not turning toward Shiro. 

“Yeah?” Shiro asked, leaving the door open if Keith wanted to talk more, or allowing him to leave things if he wanted.

“Yeah. He was into this kind of stuff. Diners and local mom and pop places. Though... one of the guys at the firehouse would make really amazing pancakes...I liked coming with dad when they had some of the other kids around and we’d eat pancakes for dinner.” 

He smiled at the memory, turning back to Shiro. He was smiling back at Keith, something on his face that Keith couldn’t recognize. 

“That sounds like a lot of fun.”

Keith nodded, chuckling. “It was.” 

Helena dropped off the check and Shiro paid. He checked his watch, eyes widening a little. 

“We should probably get back, it’s...almost three,” he said, chuckling. 

Keith nodded, smiling, though there was a part of him that was sad that their time was coming to an end. 

“Bye, Helena!” Shiro called, waving to her, and Keith followed suit. 

“Bye, boys. Get home safe! See you soon!”

***

Shiro put his arm around Keith’s shoulders as they walked to their bikes and Keith leaned into him, putting his arm around his waist. 

“Thanks for the pancakes,” he said. 

“Anytime,” Shiro replied, a smile in his voice. 

He released Keith, and while he wanted to linger, he pulled away, going toward his bike. 

It didn’t take them long to get back to the hangar and they returned their bikes to their rightful place. 

“You think someone’s gonna notice that they’re...y’know...dusty?” Keith asked, covering a yawn as Shiro led him back to his dorm. 

“Probably,” Shiro replied, shrugging, “ but if it’s an issue, I’ll take care of it.” 

Keith nodded, looking up at Shiro. He remembered when Shiro had seemed so much taller, bigger. He’d caught up at least a little, but he figured he might always be looking up to him, in more ways than one. 

“Thanks, Shiro.”

They stopped in front to Keith’s door and he turned to look up at Shiro. 

“I had a lot of fun tonight.”

Shiro was smiling back at him, the same, unreadable expression on his face. It wasn’t bad, just different. 

“It was my pleasure, Keith. Thanks for being such a great friend and hanging out. I always appreciate our time together.” 

Keith couldn’t help but flush and hope that Shiro didn’t notice. 

“Me, too.” 

The clasped hands and pulled each other in to hug, hands between them, hands on one another’s backs. Shiro gave Keith an extra squeeze and Keith subtly tried to breathe Shiro in. 

“Get to bed, cadet. It’s early,” Shiro said as they pulled away, ruffling Keith’s hair. 

Keith keyed into his dorm, stepping half into the room. 

“Will do. Thanks, old timer. Catch ya later.” 

Shiro held up his hand, smiling. 

“Bye, bud.” 

Keith stepped into his room, closing the door, and leaned back against it, listening to the sound of Shiro’s footsteps as he walked away.


End file.
